https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/
enThu, 31 Jan 2019 00:00:00 +0200https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/self-driving-car-now-supplemented-with-unmanned-ship/
MEC Insenerilahendused OÜ, Hyrles, and TalTech teamed up to develop the prototype of an unmanned automatic ship. More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=192448Thu, 23 May 2019 00:00:00 +0300https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/professor-anu-masso-e-residency-contributes-to-the-reproduction-of-digital-inequalities/
In a situation of rapid digitalisation of public and private sector services the methods for digital identity verification and authentication are also becoming increasingly important for citizens. More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=192196Mon, 20 May 2019 00:00:00 +0300https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/14-taltech-lecturers-were-presented-to-the-national-competition-of-the-best-lecturer/
By April 18th, candidates could be nominated for the National Teacher Competition in nine categories. 14 candidates were nominated from TalTech.

In the category of the best lecturer, the prize would go to a lecturer who has provided outstanding support for student development in the last three years.

School of Business and GovernanceErkki KaroPaavo SiimannKristjan Jasinski

School of EngineeringMarina KritševskajaSergei LetunovitšTiia Rüütmann

School of ScienceRutt Hints

]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=192181Fri, 17 May 2019 00:00:00 +0300https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/a-canadian-professor-of-mining-engineering-opened-a-way-for-major-research-projects-to-taltech/
Tallinn University of Technology was given a chance to participate in major European research projects, as a Canadian professor of mining engineering who started work in TalTech last year was chosen as a member of the European innovation network committee.

According to Renno Veinthal, TalTech Vice-Rector of Research, the fact that Michael Hitch, Professor of Mining Engineering, was chosen as a member of the committee of the raw materials innovation network of the European Innovation and Technology Institute (EIT) is a significant accomplishment for the whole university. ‘The raw materials network of EIT includes international large corporations and most prominent European universities, research institutions, and geological surveys. It is the largest raw materials network in the world financing innovation projects and improving professional training and entrepreneurship,” Veinthal elaborated.

‘We have been part of the raw materials network of EIT since 2015 and have participated in enterprise-oriented innovation projects as well as in initiatives for improving training. For example, students can now experience mining processes in virtual reality and learn how to store and model information gathered from boreholes,’ Veinthal said.

According to Veinthal, a researcher of the university becoming a member of the committee means an even more intense cooperation and a chance to contribute more into the development of mineral resources and raw materials. ‘The fact that Professor Hitch was chosen as a member of the raw materials committee of the EIT improves cooperation opportunities for students and professors of TalTech as well as Estonian mining engineering enterprises,’ Veinthal assured.

The renowned Canadian researcher Michael Hitch became the Professor of Mining Engineering in TalTech in the fall of 2018. ‘I am grateful for the opportunity to work with my colleagues from TalTech and other partners of the EIT network. As a member of the committee, I can share my knowledge to contribute to the greatest raw materials network in the world and make sure that TalTech is included in the network’s activities,” Professor Hitch added.

The European Innovation and Technology Institute was established in 2008 to enhance cooperation between innovation, research, and manufacturing, and it now includes eight sectoral innovation networks. Tallinn University of Technology belongs to two networks: EIT Digital focussing on information technology development and EIT Raw Materials involving the whole value chain from geological studies and mining to a circular economy of products. The EIT Raw Materials network includes 315 European universities, research institutions, and major enterprises. TalTech’s training and research activities also cover six other fields: EIT InnoEnergy, EIT Climate-KIC, EIT Health, EIT Food, EIT Manufacturing, and EIT Urban Mobility.

]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=192180Fri, 17 May 2019 00:00:00 +0300https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/taltech-to-participate-in-the-international-steel-bridge-competition/
At the international steel bridge competition BRICO, students are required to prepare as light as possible and aesthetically pleasing 5-metre long model of a bridge.

The competition started on 15 May.

The bridge must be mountable in a minimum amount of time and will be tested with a dynamic load test with a weight of 1,000 kilos. In addition to resistance, a committee of professors and sponsors will evaluate the novelty and appearance of the bridge.

Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) is represented by two teams of engineering students, Lovers and Hexagon.

The Lovers team designed and constructed their bridge from scratch, using the metal treatment and welding laboratories of TalTech to manufacture the details of the bridge. They also used auxiliary details made of plastic with a 3D printer to test and construct parts of the bridge.

The team leader Henri Palm said that anyone could build a bridge that can carry a weight of one tonne, ‘Only an engineer can build a bridge that could carry exactly the weight of one tonne. As BRICO evaluates the weight, appearance, and load-bearing capacity of the bridge, some compromises had to be made. Our main focus is on novel appearance, and I guarantee that nothing like has ever done before.”

The strength of the Hexagon team lies in the students who built the bridge – designing and manufacturing a bridge for this competition was the subject of team leader Kerttu Volk’s graduation thesis. Volk said that the competition is a perfect opportunity to follow the process of building a bridge all the way from the initial idea to the final product. ‘I learned from this competition how important it is to pay attention to every little detail,’ Volk added.

TalTech is participating in the international steel bridge competition BRICO for the fourth time; this year, the competition includes nine teams from Estonia, Lithuania, and Poland.

High school engineering enthusiasts Taimar Paate and Liisa Tatar from the Rõngu Secondary School will also participate in the competition as job-shadows of the organising committee. ‘We came here to familiarise ourselves with TalTech and the work of engineers, especially bridge engineers, but also to follow the creation of different bridges. They even trusted us with mounting a bridge.’

BRICO is sponsored by TalTech, MARU, TREV2, Mapri Ehitus, Nordecon Betoon, YIT, Novarc, Kaamos, K-Projekt, and Fractory]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=192179Fri, 17 May 2019 00:00:00 +0300https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/centre-for-biorobotics-researchers-invited-to-present-their-work-at-uc-berkeley-uc-davis/
Jeffrey Tuhtan from the TalTech Centre for Biorobotics also gave an invited lecture at UC Davis on April 23rd on the topic of "Environmental Sensing and Intelligence: Real-Time Data Assimilation". He was hosted by Prof. Gregory Pasternack, a leading expert on environmental modelling of rivers and ecohydraulics. The presentation illustrates TalTech's international recognition for its excellence in developing next generation underwater sensor systems for large-scale environmental monitoring and decision-making.

Asya Drenkova-Tuhtan from the TalTech Centre for Biorobotics gave an invited presentation at University of California, Berkeley on April 25th on the topic of “Reusable magnetic sorbent materials for advanced wastewater treatment and nutrient recovery”. She was hosted by the lab of Prof. David Sedlak who is a world-leading expert in Environmental Engineering, co-director of the Berkeley Water Center at UC Berkeley and Editor-in-Chief of the reputable ACS journal Environmental Science and Technology. The talk demonstrated that TalTech is internationally recognized for its valuable contribution to the characterization and application of novel magnetic nanocomposite materials for the sorption of hazardous contaminants and recovery of finite nutrient resources from wastewater streams. The magnetic sorbents were developed in cooperation with the University of Stuttgart and Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research in Germany.

On the photo: Dr. Drenkova-Tuhtan from the Centre for Biorobotics (right) and UC Berkeley PhD Candidate Emily Kraemer. (Copyright TalTech Centre for Biorobotics)

]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=191880Mon, 13 May 2019 00:00:00 +0300https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/come-to-geominehack-and-help-companies-solve-real-problems/
In TalTech Mektory will take place the first Raw Materials Hackathon GeoMineHack where you will search solutions to the Estonian mining and material processing industry given challenges, test your knowledge and meet potential employers. More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=191208Tue, 23 Apr 2019 00:00:00 +0300https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/the-scientists-of-tallinn-university-of-technology-developed-a-new-method-for-improving-the-efficiency-of-air-purifiers/
Clean air is something that we are continuously proud of in our little Estonia, and it has been called, partly in jest, one of the most important export articles of Estonia. Unfortunately, the environment, including the air, around us is becoming increasingly polluted.More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=191140Tue, 23 Apr 2019 00:00:00 +0300https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/taltech-and-florida-poly-launch-partnership-to-research-autonomous-vehicles/
Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) signed a co-operation agreement with Florida Polytechnic University (Florida Poly) on 10 April to join forces for future development and increasing security of automated vehicles.More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=191135Mon, 22 Apr 2019 00:00:00 +0300https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/the-scientists-of-tallinn-university-of-technology-are-developing-a-technology-for-water-purification-by-electric-discharges/
The environment around us is becoming increasingly polluted. This includes one of our most precious natural resources – water. More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=190889Tue, 16 Apr 2019 00:00:00 +0300https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/estonian-and-russian-scientists-will-start-developing-water-quality-criteria-for-the-narva-river/
Water and environmental engineering scientists of Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) in cooperation with colleagues from Russia are looking for a solution how to reduce uncertainty in estimation of the Narva River runoff and the pollution load from the river basin. More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=190849Mon, 15 Apr 2019 00:00:00 +0300https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/building-information-modelling-increases-construction-quality-and-reduces-errors/
The universities of technology in Tallinn, Vilnius, and Riga established together the Bim Centre of Excellenceto make the building process more qualitative by digitalisation and avoid mistakes.More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=190787Fri, 12 Apr 2019 00:00:00 +0300https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/taltech-is-establishing-co-operation-with-the-us-on-developing-self-driving-cars/
Tallinn University of Technology is signing a co-operation agreement with Florida Polytechnic University on the 10th of April, to join forces for future development and increasing security of automated vehicles (AV). More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=190658Wed, 10 Apr 2019 00:00:00 +0300https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/chemists-warn-against-unreasonable-wastage-upon-acquisition-of-scientific-equipment/
Some 100-150 years ago chemists performed most of the solution analyses by the naked eye. The colour of the solution and its intensity indicated the proportion of the substance in the solution.More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=190232Thu, 04 Apr 2019 00:00:00 +0300https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/taltech-and-aalto-universities-receive-a-32-million-euros-teaming-grant-to-build-a-smart-and-sustainable-talsinki-as-a-prototype-for-europe-and-the-world/
The Ragnar Nurkse Department of Innovation Governance of Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) has received, together with Aalto University, Forum Virum Helsinki and the Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, a thumbs up from the European Commission for the Finest Twin Teaming Project. More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=190230Thu, 04 Apr 2019 00:00:00 +0300https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/the-conference-knowledge-based-construction-will-happen-again/
On 23 April, The Estonian Society of Heating and Ventilation Engineers, TalTech, the Estonian Association of Civil Engineers, and the Centre of Excellence for Zero Energy and Resource Efficient Smart Buildings and Districts will host the conference ‘Knowledge-based Construction 2019’ at Viru Conference Centre. More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=190218Wed, 03 Apr 2019 00:00:00 +0300https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/taltechs-geneticists-started-to-analyse-wolf-dna-to-estimate-the-estonian-wolf-population/
The aim of the study, which will finish by autumn, is to estimate the number of wolves before and after the hunting season.

At the request of the Environment Agency, TalTech geneticists will analyse tissue samples from and stools of hunted wolves as well as saliva samples taken from sheep killed by wolves.

More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=189943Wed, 27 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0200https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/the-achievement-of-swedish-and-estonian-researchers-to-bring-a-breakthrough-in-data-transfer/
Researchers from the Chalmers University of Technology and TalTech demonstrated a 4,000-kilometre fibre-optic transmission line, which will improve the quality of data communication and, for example, radio, mobile, and Internet connection.

On 26 March 27 years ago, Estonia established its first internet connection to the outside world via a satellite between Tallinn and Stockholm, which adds significance to this achievement of Estonian and Swedish researchers.

More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=189934Wed, 27 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0200https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/exclusive-business-development-program-in-the-us/
NGAL (Network Globally, Act Locally) is an intensive hands-on business development programme for early-stage startups. The programme starts with the boot camp in Tartu, continues in Tallinn and ends with a launch-camp in Charleston, USA. At the final day, teams pitch to judges and the best teams will be awarded. More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=189933Wed, 27 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0200https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/mecklenburg-vorpommern-state-delegation-at-taltech/
On 21 March 2019, a high-profile German ministerial delegation from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state (also known as Mecklenburg-West Pomerania) led by Hon. Christian Pegel, Minister for Energy, Infrastructure and Digitalisation, visited Tallinn University of Technology's Innovation and Business Centre Mektory. The visit was held in the framework of joint Estonian-German annual festival Deutscher Frühling (German Spring), which traditionally includes culture- and science and new technologies-related events. The main interest of the delegation was on e-governance and digitalisation-associated topics. More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=189843Mon, 25 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0200https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/robert-krimmer-estonians-have-a-completely-different-understanding-of-data-protection/
The National Council of Swirzerland is debating the introduction of an electronic identity card. Swiss citizens should be able to identify themselves to authorities or companies on the Internet. In Estonia, this has been around for a long time. TalTech professor Robert Krimmer deals with the digitization of public services. He is an advocate of this development. More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=189841Mon, 25 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0200https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/the-architecture-programme-manager-of-taltech-and-his-team-won-the-architecture-competition-for-the-new-viljandi-hospital/
Jaan Kuusemets, the Architecture Programme Manager of TalTech, was one of the winners of the architectural competition for the new hospital and health centre in Viljandi. What were the main challenges of the project and how did a man who initially learned sea management and wanted to become a watch officer grow up to be a top architect? More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=189659Thu, 21 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0200https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/the-taltech-open-indoor-championship-in-spinning-rod-casting-accuracy-was-held-on-sunday-17-march/
Spinning rod casting accuracy competitions have been organised for decades, but the first (at least in this millennium) TalTech indoor championships were organised as late as in 2019. TalTech has been active in the sports for decades and traditionally, the employees of Baltic universities of technology have competed to find out who is the best in terms of accuracy and distance with a spinning rod. Last year, TalTech won the competition. More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=189611Thu, 21 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0200https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/university-startup-world-cup-2019/
University Startup World Cup is coming back in a new format! This year, USWC is focusing on the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. That means that every team in the University Startup World Cup is trying to work towards at least one of these goals. The University Startup World Cup is more than just a competition, it is an opportunity to be part of an international network of experienced entrepreneurs and business professionals.More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=189510Wed, 20 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0200https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/scientists-study-fish-to-learn-how-to-adapt-to-the-impacts-of-climate-change/
Freshwater biodiversity is rapidly declining worldwide, and nature-based solutions which increase the resilience of ecological communities are becoming increasingly important in helping communities prepare for the unavoidable effects of climate change. More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=189424Tue, 19 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0200https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/aaditya-parashar/
Aaditya Parashar is a student of TalTech since 2016, originally from India. He is passionate about technology, he studied Informatics in High School, and have always liked to play around with technology, experiment with new things and use existing things in new ways. He feels Cyber Security at TalTech was a good move for him, as he gets to do all that and more. More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=189377Mon, 18 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0200https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/taltech-and-eurotech-formed-a-consortium-for-a-european-university-initiative/
One of the most influential network of universities of technology Eurotech in cooperation with TalTech (Tallinn University of Technology) and Czech Technical University in Prague has set in motion their common ambition to reform engineering study programmes in Europe, in order to advance the competitiveness and protection of the European values in engineering. More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=189238Wed, 13 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0200https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/taltech-is-exporting-the-idea-of-e-state-to-kazakhstan/
This week, TalTech and advanced Estonian companies will introduce in Kazakhstan their experience in digitalisation and the impact of the e-state on the economy and society in general. On 12 March, an international forum will take place on the initiative of Estonians in the capital of Kazakhstan, Astana, called ‘Digitalisation: the Estonian experience’, where the Kazak public sector and representatives of companies will discuss the impact of the e-state and digital solutions on economic development and the use of Estonia’s success story in the programme ‘Digital Kazakhstan’. More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=189228Wed, 13 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0200https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/nominee-for-marketing-team-of-the-year-taltech/
Marketing Team of the Year 2018 will be announced at the Password conference.The Marketing Team of the Year is selected on the basis of a survey conducted among marketing agencies.More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=189179Tue, 12 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0200https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/prototron-can-help-to-turn-your-studies-into-business/
Prototron springround is open. Last year Prototron gave out 121,000€ equity free funding for 9 teams, this year Prototron has 120,800€ to support innovative ideas. Several TalTech-backed teams have started their success-stories with the help of Prototron.More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=189075Fri, 08 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0200https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/taltech-and-the-city-of-tallinn-are-building-a-smart-city-together/
On 1 March, the joint smart city initiative of the City of Tallinn and TalTech was opened in the grand hall of Mektory.More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=188953Thu, 07 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0200https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/taltech-included-in-the-prestigious-qs-ranking-with-three-subjects/
Last week, the reputable ranking agency of the world’s universities QS published a subject-based list of the best universities in the world. The TalTech reforms have helped the university reach the top 2% of the best universities in the world in five subjects.More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=188906Wed, 06 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0200https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/food-scientists-from-tallinn-university-of-technology-investigate-the-impact-of-food-transit-rate-on-human-gut-bacteria/
Recently an article "Selection of fast and slow growing bacteria from fecal microbiota using continuous culture with changing dilution rate" on the research of the scientists of Tallinn University of Technology was published in a prestigious peer reviewed journal Microbial Ecology in Health and Disease.More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=188840Tue, 05 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0200https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/masters-thesis-written-at-taltech-voice-commands-in-medicine-help-to-reduce-treatment-errors/
A Master’s thesis written at TalTech analysed an application developed in Estonia which records how nurses follow instructions with voice commands to help to reduce the number of treatment errors and improve patient safety. The purpose of the application is to avoid situations where, for example, blood compliance is not checked before a blood transfusion or a tool is not prepared before a procedure. The application provides information to nurses during procedures about the instructions and the nursing activities can be recorded with voice commands. To do this, the nurse has to say the keywords in the ear microphone, from where they reach the application in their pocket.

Treatment guidelines are national and international regulations that health professionals rely on in their work. Essential step-by-step activities from nursing instructions were programmed into the application. The use of the application is hands-free, which complies with the hospital hygiene rules. According to Hannalore Taal, the author of the Master’s thesis, similar solutions have been used elsewhere in intensive care and surgery. However, these solutions are not based on voice commands. ‘Research has shown that they help to reduce treatment errors and increase adherence to instructions to almost 100 per cent. In the case of the application developed in Estonia, the new aspect is the use of voice commands in Estonian,’ Taal said.

The application was tested by eight ICU nurses in the North Estonia Medical Centre for seven months. Feedback showed that 90 per cent of the nurses who tested the application would recommend it to their colleague. This shows that the need for such an application is high in Estonian hospitals.

The author of the Master’s thesis also said that speech recognition solutions are not yet widespread in hospitals and people have to get used to healthcare professionals who use smart solutions. ‘Some patients started to call the nurses working with the application ‘robots’. This shows that there is still explanatory work to be done among patients to improve quality,’ Taal added.

The application was developed by the Estonian digital health company Cognuse and the North Estonia Medical Centre. Today, cooperation has moved to the next phase: using the application in nursing training, especially for blood transfusions, but also in daily procedures. In addition to voice-controlled mode, visual checklists are included. In addition, the application has also been tested in West and East Tallinn Central Hospitals and the Tartu University Hospital.

The title of the thesis defended in the field of Health Care Technology at TalTech is ‘Intensiivravi digitaalse kontrollnimekirja rakendusprojekti hindamine ning tuleviku hindamis- ja arendusvajaduste kaardistamine’ (Evaluation of the implementation of an intensive care digital control checklist and mapping of future assessment and development needs). Hannalore Taal participated in the development of the application and the goal of her Master’s thesis was to evaluate its use in intensive care and to make recommendations on how to develop the application in the future and measure its impact.

Health Care Technology is an international Master’s programme at TalTech, which welcomes students from different educational backgrounds interested in healthcare, e-health, and digital solutions. Students will learn how to analyse, develop, and successfully deploy e-health technologies. Enrol in the School of Information Technologies of TalTech today!

]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=188603Tue, 26 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0200https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/taltech-recognised-the-best-researchers-lecturers-students-and-support-staff/
At the ceremony of the 101st anniversary of the Republic of Estonia, TalTech recognised the best researchers, lecturers and support staff in 2018 and noted the best authors of research articles and students.More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=188549Mon, 25 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0200https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/taltech-is-the-first-university-in-estonia-to-launch-a-virtual-tour-with-a-digital-guide/
As suitable for a digital university, the virtual tour at the TalTech campus is conducted by a virtual guide, who directs the visitor with questions and encourages to click on more interesting sites. Such tour is unique not only in Estonia, but also worldwide. More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=188470Thu, 21 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0200https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/reducing-floods-in-urban-areas-ensures-a-cleaner-baltic-sea/
The project ‘Protecting Baltic Sea from untreated wastewater spillages during flood events in urban areas’ (NOAH) was selected from 114 applications for co-financing by the EU Interreg Baltic Sea Region. The leading partner of the project is the Tallinn University of Technology. More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=188424Wed, 20 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0200https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/professor-irina-hussainova-received-a-state-research-award/
This year, a € 40,000 research grant was awarded to Anne Luik and Peeter Saari for their long-term effective research and development. A € 50,000 research grant for outstanding discovery was awarded to Mart Ustav.More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=188396Tue, 19 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0200https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/taltech-masters-thesis-cash-is-full-of-germs/
In the flu season, it has become extremely topical to follow hygiene principles to prevent infectious diseases.

Diseases can be transmitted to people in daily activities, including by using cash. Several countries are trying to reduce this problem by introducing polymer money instead of paper money.

Doctor of Medicine Khalil Bassam, a graduate of the Department of Health Technologies, recently defended his Master’s Thesis on the microbial contamination of cash.

Khalil Bassam compared in his Master’s thesis the microbial contamination of paper money with polymer money. He compared euros from Tallinn and pounds from London. The study compared four types of banknotes: 5- and 10-pound (polymeric money) and 5-and 10-euro banknotes (paper money). The microbial level was measured with the ATP (adenosine triphosphate) method and the result was expressed in RLU units (Relative Light Unit). Bassam carried out the measurement of banknotes at the Microbial Innovation Technology Laboratory in Derby, United Kingdom.

As a result of the study, Bassam found that there is no significant difference in the amount of microbial contamination in paper money and polymer money – both showed the same level of microbes. In doing so, he contributed to the rejection of the myth that polymer money helps to reduce human infection with infectious diseases. He also made a remarkable discovery that 5-pound and 5-euro banknotes contained several times more microbes than 10-pound and 10-euro banknotes.

The fact that 5-euro and 5-pound banknotes contained more germs indicates that these are circulated much more frequently. It may also refer to the socio-economic background of the people who used the money.

With his Master’s thesis, Bassam outlined a biological risk factor to which little attention is paid – cash. During his defence, the author also referred to the risk that paper money could be used as a means of bioterrorism. For example, in a study at the University of New York, microbes of Siberian plague were found on cash. Bassam said that countries should have a contingency plan for such a bioterrorist emergency – to switch to the electronic payment methods during the crisis period and to stop using cash.

Khalil Bassam, a UK citizen with medical education, came to Estonia and enrolled in the Department of Health Technologies of TalTech, as he found that the curriculum combines health care and digital solutions at a modern level. Bassam found the curriculum to be unique in Europe and valuable for continuing his career in the UK.

The Master’s thesis was supervised by Professor Piia Tint of the Faculty of Economics and Lecturer Tarmo Koppel. The supervisors highly value the practical value of the Master’s thesis especially in terms of occupational safety, as customer service staff is the largest part of the Estonian workforce.

]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=188395Tue, 19 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0200https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/70-students-work-shadowed-in-ulemiste-city/
On 14 February, 70 IT, HR, and Finance students from TalTech and the Estonian Entrepreneurship University of Applied Sciences Mainor work-shadowed in 15 different companies in Ülemiste City.More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=188389Tue, 19 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0200https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/taltech-best-in-science-in-2018/
At its meeting on 7 February, the Science Committee of TalTech Council decided to present the best in science of the past year for the rector’s approval.More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=188221Fri, 15 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0200https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/taltech-alumni-jaan-kekisev-the-contact-network-built-during-your-university-years-is-invaluable/
Jaan Kekišev completed the Bachelor of Logistics cum laude in 2012, graduated from the Chalmers University of Technology with a Master’s degree, and worked as a management consultant in Stockholm. Now, he is back in Estonia and works as the executive director of the medical technology company Optofluid Technologies. More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=188100Wed, 13 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0200https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/nearly-300-people-have-submitted-their-applications-to-taltech/
TalTech has been accepting admission applications for the next academic year since November 2018. In the first three months, almost 300 people applied for our Bachelor and Master programmes. More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=188095Wed, 13 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0200https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/scientists-of-tallinn-university-of-technology-developed-a-method-that-allows-removal-of-antibiotic-residue-from-waste-water/
In February the article "Metal-doped organic aerogels for photocatalytic degradation of trimethoprim" written by the researchers of two research groups (nanoporous materials and environmental technology research groups) of Tallinn University of Technology was published in the high-impact peer-reviewed professional journal Chemical Engineering Journal. More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=187999Tue, 12 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0200https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/cyberspike-2019/
We are looking for young cybersecurity talents in the ages of 14-24 to participate in the CyberSpike competition. More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=187967Mon, 11 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0200https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/applications-are-accepted-for-fellowship-women-in-science/
From January 30, 2019, a competition for the prestigious L'Oréal-Baltic fellowship “Women in Science” is open. Seven €6,000 fellowships will be granted to eminent female scientists from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. For the first time, one of the Baltic States is nominated for one of the L'Oréal and UNESCO International Rising Talent Fellowships. More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=187812Fri, 08 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0200https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/taltech-will-present-the-iseauto-in-brussels-to-the-european-commission-and-potential-co-operation-partners-from-industry-and-universities/
Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) presented TalTech Iseauto, a smart city project and the future of autonomous vehicles to the European Commission and Parliament members and industry representatives on 7 February in Brussels. More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=187785Thu, 07 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0200https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/taltech-scientists-to-create-new-chemical-noses-to-rid-the-environment-of-industrial-pollutants/
Scientists from five European countries have joined forces to develop next-generation 'chemical noses' to remove industrial pollutants from the environment. More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=187614Tue, 05 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0200https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/tallinn-can-knowledge-be-opened-up-to-everyone/
In no other city in the world are people as thoroughly digitally-minded as in Tallinn, Estonia. How does that change a society? More]]>https://www.ttu.ee/?id=187464Thu, 31 Jan 2019 00:00:00 +0200https://www.ttu.ee/news/news-2/university-2/labster-experience-of-pirjo-spuul/
by Maria Homann

Pirjo Spuul, Senior Researcher, has taught bachelor students at Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) in Estonia since 2016. She introduced Labster simulations as a pilot project to teach biosafety and subsequently organized a non-compulsory course consisting entirely of Labster simulations.